World Heart Day initiative encourages motorists to reduce unnecessary honking and promote calmer commutes.
With unnecessary honking a familiar part of Bengaluru’s daily traffic, SPARSH Hospitals has launched ‘Horn Don’t Maadi’ this World Heart Day to encourage motorists to rethink habitual honking and its impact on everyday stress and wellbeing.
Built around the thought, “Can honking move the traffic? If not, what is all this noise doing to us?”, the campaign highlights the importance of using horns for safety rather than frustration or impatience.
Dr. Sharan Shivaraj Patil, Founder, Chairman and Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon, SPARSH Group of Hospitals, said, “With ‘Horn Don’t Maadi’, we want to turn a familiar Bengaluru experience into a simple moment of awareness. The campaign is not about stopping necessary honking, but about encouraging people to pause and ask whether every honk is really needed. Small changes in everyday behaviour can contribute to a calmer and healthier environment.”
Dr. (Prof) Ranjan Shetty, Lead Consultant, Cardiologist and Group Medical Director, SPARSH Hospitals, said, “An occasional honk is not the concern. It is repeated exposure to unnecessary and stressful noise that can add to the body’s stress response. When these stressors are experienced repeatedly, they can contribute to chronic stress, which is one of several factors that influence cardiovascular health.”
The campaign will reach Bengaluru’s roads and communities through public sign-ups, hospital and community engagement, radio and social media interventions, street vox pops, interactive traffic polls and doctor-led conversations. Influencer-led content will feature under ‘Honk Not Okay Please’.
The initiative encourages mindful commuting while reinforcing that horns should be used whenever safety requires it.
